Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 114 Morse Code
Why is Dr. Pipi there?
Hua Xin turned the multiplier to the highest level and scanned the mercenaries one by one, but did not find Grey Goose.

Pipi walked in the middle of the group, as if leading the way and identifying the direction.

She appeared to be surrounded in the center, but the positions of the mercenaries around her subtly formed a cage, more like a hostage situation.

This setup doesn't look like a simple patrol.

what are they looking for
Hua Xin's first thought was the Spark Base, but she quickly rejected it.

Pipi had been to the base several times and knew the surrounding terrain like the back of his hand. If the target really was the Torch Base, given their speed, they would probably have arrived long ago.

With this aimless searching posture, Pipi seems more like... deliberately stalling for time.

Hua Xin also noticed that Pipi's condition was not right.

Her steps were steady, but her eyes were not focused ahead. Instead, she kept glancing in my direction, as if conveying some kind of message.

Hey, wait...

Hua Xin moved the crosshair away from her cheek and slowly lowered it.

Pipi's arms hung naturally at her sides, but two fingers were tapping repeatedly on her legs with an almost imperceptible motion.

One, two... the movements were very light.

Hua Xin initially thought it was due to nervousness, but she quickly recognized the unique rhythm.

Long, short

[Short and long]

[Long, long, long; short, short]

Dr. Pipi was actually transmitting Morse code!
Hua Xin's breath hitched. She immediately turned on the recording function on her wrist panel, locked the scope's view on Pipi's fingers, and didn't miss a single beat.

The darkness provided the best cover, and Pipi's movements were so stealthy that he was hard to spot.

Pipi repeated it twice, but soon, Qiushan beside her noticed something was wrong.

"What are you dawdling about? Why are you walking so slowly?"

Pipi's body stiffened visibly, and the tapping stopped instantly.

Qiu Shan took another step forward, almost touching her back, exuding a sense of pressure:
"Where is the assassination squad? Why haven't I seen them? Are you playing me for a fool?"

Pipi raised her hand and pointed to the chemical plant ahead, her voice tense: "They might... be hiding inside."

"Then you go first."

Qiu Shan's voice was serious, "Don't try anything funny right under my nose."

Pipi dared not make any more small movements and obediently walked in front of him, like a puppet being pulled.

The Morse code was completely interrupted.

Hua Xin lay behind the broken wall, watching the group of figures gradually disappear into the distance. Then he opened the clip he had just recorded and analyzed the incomplete Morse code frame by frame.

[Rhythm analysis in progress...]

Pattern matching... Match successful

[Language database: Esperanto code]

On the light screen, the mysterious rhythm composed of long and short beats was converted into a string of four-digit numbers.

Immediately following, a clear text appeared below each numerical code:
[2 inside the city, 20 outside the city]

Hua Xin stared at the string of numbers and vaguely guessed that it might be related to time and distance.

Without a second thought, she immediately contacted Watson.

But all that came through the communicator was a noisy electrical hum; the eerie fog in the wilderness blocked out all signals.

"Never mind, let's go back first."

Hua Xin then turned around and quickly moved through the ruins, soon returning to the Torch Base.

Watson and Gage understood the message instantly after seeing the details of the Morse code.

"First of all, we can be sure that Pipi has been kidnapped and is asking us for help. Her hiding place is in Linhai City."

Hua Xin nodded: "2 inside the city, 20 outside the city... does that refer to the flight time of the hovercar?"

"That's right, the unit is minutes."

Watson walked to a holographic map, pulled up a topographical map of the area surrounding Linhai City, and marked the landing point for Qiu Shan and his group.

“Pipi’s vision is definitely limited, and she doesn’t know her exact location. She can only convey information to us through the flight time of the hovercar.”

Hua Xin didn't understand: "Then how did she distinguish between inside and outside the city?"

Gage remained silent, tapping his fingertips lightly on the map as if confirming his judgment.

"She senses it through flight speed."

"Flight speed?"

Gage patiently explained, "The fog concentration inside the city is low, so you can fly at full speed and leave the city in two minutes. However, the fog concentration outside the city will severely limit your speed, with a maximum of no more than thirty kilometers per hour."

He pointed to the marked point on the map, "The distance from Linhai City to their landing point is exactly ten kilometers, which is a twenty-minute journey."

Watson drew a circle with a radius of ten kilometers around the landing point on the map.

"So... as long as we know which direction they will enter the city from, we can use their flight speed and time to pinpoint the area where Pippi is being held captive."

Gage nodded: "Yes."

Hua Xin instantly understood, and her cat ears perked up alertly.

"Brother, let's go into the city immediately and inform the boss so they can set up a stakeout in advance!"

"Yes."

Watson thought for a moment and instead of setting off immediately, he switched to the communication channel with the Jetta team, as the ratmen probably had more ways to communicate.

The signal relay was intermittent, and after several adjustments, the face of the Rat Advisor appeared.

After listening carefully, the Rat Advisor shook his head: "King Jetta and all the rat scouts are not here. They have all gone into the city. You still have to make the trip yourself."

He paused for a moment, then added, "You don't need to enter the city. Just send the signal from outside. To be on the safe side, you should send another person to track the convoy. Once you confirm the entry point and direction into the city, you'll be almost certain of success."

"Understood, thank you, Master."

After Hua Sheng cut off the communication, he looked at Hua Xin. Their eyes met, and their tacit understanding was unspoken.

"Brother, I'll track down the hovercar."

"Okay, be careful. Or you could wear a set of power armor too."

"No."

Hua Xin shook her head, her cat ears twitching slightly. "The other side has heat source detection, which makes it easier to be exposed. Besides, that thing is too bulky and will affect my hearing and vision."

Watson thought it made sense and didn't insist on it.

The warehouse door opened, and Gage pushed out two modified electric motorcycles.

The motorcycle has a rugged appearance, wide tires, and a high-powered fog light installed on the front.

"The battery is full, and there's a spare one that can be used as a stun gun for self-defense."

Gage pointed to the dashboard and carefully instructed, "Remember, the speed cannot exceed 30 kilometers per hour, otherwise the car body will be corroded by the mysterious fog."

"I understand, thank you."

Watson straddled the motorcycle, and the heavy power armor caused the motorcycle to lurch forward, pushing the shock absorbers to their limit.

He turned around, gave his sister a confirming look, then turned on the switch and disappeared into the ruins.

Hua Xin nimbly flipped over and landed on the saddle of another electric motorcycle.

Without turning back, she turned on the ignition, the wheels kicked up a small patch of gravel, and she returned to the previous observation point.

She lay back down behind the broken wall, set up her sniper rifle, and observed the movements in the distance.

The group has stopped searching.

They were using the outer walls of the abandoned factory as cover to fire fiercely into the factory.

“Da da da da—!”

The muzzle flashes tore through the darkness, illuminating the factory's outline in shifting light.

What are they attacking?
Hua Xin carefully moved the crosshair, and when she saw the entire chemical plant, her pupils contracted slightly.

The factory had long been swallowed up by a thick, dark green vine, which twisted and coiled around the broken beams like a giant python.

Vines stretched out from the cracks and windows, their surfaces covered with sharp thorns, scraping against the walls with a harsh sound.

Ghost King Vine.

The name flashed through Hua Xin's mind.

These corrosive plants are common in wastelands; they strangle any living thing that gets close.

The scavenging group had encountered this thing frequently before, but the common Ghost King Vine is not large and is very afraid of fire, so it is nothing to worry about.

But the Ghost King Vine in front of us had obviously been there for a long time, its thick vines almost blending into the chemical plant.

Each wriggling motion caused the metal skeleton to emit a cracking sound as it struggled to bear the strain.

"call out--!"

Vines, like long whips, suddenly lashed out from the shadows, striking the mercenaries' bunkers and sending concrete fragments flying everywhere.

Qiu Shan and his men all possessed heavy firepower, so dealing with these mutated plants wasn't too difficult; it was just a waste of ammunition.

Several armored soldiers, armed with heavy machine guns, blasted the vines, causing green liquid to splatter everywhere.

But this suppression was only temporary, and more vines surged from the depths of the factory, trying to strangle them.

One of the mercenaries next to Qiu Shan emptied his magazine and immediately started cursing:
"Damn it! This thing is way too big, it's never going to stop! We should have just thrown dozens of incendiary bombs and then brought in flamethrowers!"

The armored soldier next to him grumbled, "What's the use of you saying this now? If you had known we were here to wipe out the Ghost King Vine, you would have just thrown in thermobaric bombs."

After finally clearing away the vines on the outside, the group carefully entered the factory.

Qiu Shan signaled everyone to stay put and take up defensive positions, then raised his tactical binoculars and scanned the depths of the factory.

But the vines were thicker and more intertwined than he had imagined.

Among the vines, one could vaguely see human figures, which were desiccated corpses that had been drained of their flesh and blood and were hanging upside down in the air.

Qiu Shan judged that the underground root system of this Ghost King Vine was probably even larger.

"Cease fire."

He raised his hand to stop the crowd, "Don't waste bullets."

The gunfire ceased, and the surroundings returned to deathly silence, with only the rustling sound of vines scraping against the walls remaining.

Qiu Shan turned his head and looked at Pipi beside him.

"Are you sure those guys are hiding deep inside the chemical plant?"

"Yes."

Pipi nodded, her voice tinged with uncertainty, "But when I came here last time, there was no Ghost King Vine here."

"Oh?"

A playful glint appeared on Qiu Shan's face, his smile devoid of any warmth. "This Ghost King Vine has been entrenched here for quite some time now. You wouldn't have deliberately lured us here to use us as a tool to kill someone, would you?"

Pipi quickly shook his head, "Absolutely not!"

"You'd better not."

Qiu Shan's smile faded, and his voice turned cold.

Just then, the voice of an armored soldier came through the tactical channel.

"Captain, thermal imaging detected an abnormal signal; there's a Corpse King Flower ahead!"

Everyone looked over and saw a giant, deep blue flower with its opening facing the sky, surrounded by green miasma.

At the base of the flower, a dozen thick tentacles slowly wriggled, dragging several zombies into the depths of the shadows.

"Report! There are a large number of parasitic flowers here!"

Qiu Shan fell silent.

Ghost King Vine, Parasitic Flower, Corpse King Flower... This abandoned chemical plant is practically a monster's den.

He glanced at the rapidly depleting ammunition reserves, then at the unfathomable ocean of vines in the distance, and felt a chill run down his spine.

"Those people have definitely been eaten."

He gave himself an out, his voice betraying neither disappointment nor relief.

"Withdraw, there's no need to waste any more bullets."

Hua Xin felt a pang of anxiety as she watched the group leave.

too fast.

The group was less patient than she had expected; only a dozen minutes had passed since her brother set off.

She holstered her sniper rifle, silently slid down from behind the broken wall, and hopped on her electric motorcycle.

The engine started silently, and without turning on the headlights, she carefully followed the evacuation convoy.

The darkness and the eerie fog provided her with the best cover.

With her superhuman night vision, the wilderness remained clear to her, enough to distinguish every trap.

But danger is everywhere.

Several mutated plants, resembling giant dandelions, swayed in the night breeze, their seeds emitting phosphorescence. If you got too close, they would explode, releasing neurotoxins.

She also saw hundreds of dark clumps tumbling in the distance—the infamous "tumbleweeds," which would grind any creature caught in them into a bloody pulp. This was why wastelanders preferred hovercars; as long as they didn't encounter red corpse birds, they were much safer than on the ground.

Hua Xin avoided the deadly traps and stared intently at the few red lights in the night sky, the only trace left by the convoy.

She dared not get too close, always maintaining a safe distance of about 300 meters from the convoy.

Just then, one of the hovercrafts in the convoy suddenly veered off course, lowered its altitude, and skimmed low toward her location.

Hua Xin was shocked. He drove his motorcycle into the ruins of a collapsed building and turned off the engine.

"Om-"

The hovercar roared past her head, its massive searchlights sweeping across the ground, the beams brushing past her.

"Report: No abnormalities found, but it's a group of poisoned rats."

"Received. Return to the team immediately."

She held her breath and remained motionless, pressed against the concrete debris.

She only breathed a sigh of relief when the hovercar rejoined the team, her back already soaked with cold sweat.

Hua Xin dared not get too close, increasing the distance to 500 meters, and continued to follow.

……

On the other side, Watson was driving an electric motorcycle, speeding across the wilderness.

The weight of the power armor was already too much for the vehicle to handle, and every bump felt like it was going to fall apart, with the rear wheels almost sinking into the sand.

Ignoring Gage's warning not to exceed 30 kilometers per hour, he turned the ignition to its limit.

As the outline of the high walls of Linhai City appeared, the Wasteland Traveler on his wrist beeped softly, signaling that the connection had been restored.

It's now!

Without pausing, he sent out the encrypted information he had already prepared, along with the coordinate data.

After a while, a short reply came from the other side.

【Received, leave the rest to me】

When the boss says he'll hand it over to him, it means the matter is already settled.

Watson's tense body relaxed, and without pausing for a moment, he immediately turned the car around.

The base is short-staffed, and he must return immediately.

……

A safe house in Linhai City.

Zhuang Fan swiped his finger across the panel, bringing up a map that precisely marked the coordinates outside the city where Qiu Shan and the others had landed, as well as their approximate flight path.

"Pipi is very smart."

Looking at the marked points on the map, Zhuang Fan couldn't help but admire, "She deliberately chose to leave the city at night, using the eerie fog of the night to slow down the hovercar, so that Hua Xin could keep up."

Cole nodded: "Now we just wait. Once we confirm the airship's entry point and location, we can lock onto it."

Mao Shanwang pulled a gold bar out of the warehouse, weighed it in his hand, and said, "This is what Chief Morisaka gave me as compensation. I'll go and find some bigger pieces."

"Okay, Old Cat, you go and get ready."

Zhuang Fan opened the communication panel, and Jetta's respectful rat-like face appeared on it.

"Boss, we have arrived at the designated location."

"Very good, proceed according to plan."

After the communication ended, Zhuang Fan turned to Cole, Xiong Er, and the others behind him, "It's time for us to set off too."

The group then infiltrated the underground pipe network and quickly arrived at the southeastern area of ​​Linhai City, where they met at an abandoned subway station.

Zhuang Fan drew three red lines on the map and gave the order: "Cole, you take three armored soldiers to hold points A and B. Jetta, you take the ratman squad to hold point C."

"clear."

Zhuang Fan then turned to Xiong Er, "Come with me."

The two climbed down the emergency escape ladder one after the other and arrived at an abandoned high-rise building.

Without hesitation, Xiong Er nimbly climbed to the top of the signal tower on the roof, taking in the view of the streets below.

Zhuang Fan stood on the other side, observing the night sky.

Everyone is waiting patiently.

Twenty minutes later, a faint vibration came from the panel on Zhuang Fan's wrist.

Hua Xin's coordinates, as well as the real-time driving positions of the five hovercraft, are clearly displayed on the map.

[Cat Detective, mission accomplished!]

Zhuang Fan smiled and sent a short reply.

"You've worked hard, you should go back to base now."

He entered the new coordinates into the map, and a red movement trajectory clearly appeared, pinpointing the approximate area.

He switched communication channels, his voice brief and forceful.

"Jetta, Cole, you and I will meet up at the target area. Xiong Er, continue to correct the course."

"receive."

The wind howls at the spires of the tall buildings.

Xiong Er set up his Gauss sniper rifle, and through the holographic sight, five blurry dots of light slowly approached from afar.

Once they entered the city, their speed suddenly increased to 120 kilometers per hour, and they sped between the buildings.

Xiong Er's breathing was steady as he calmly tracked his target. "You little punk, you can't escape my eyes."

Two minutes later, the five hovercars slowed down and gently landed in a dimly lit industrial area.

"Target has landed, coordinates locked. My line of sight is obstructed, so I'm leaving it to you."

"receive."

Almost simultaneously, Zhuang Fan and Jetta's team also arrived at an exit of the industrial area along the underground pipeline network.

"We've tracked them down. They're just a short distance ahead, in those low-rise buildings."

"very good."

With a specific location identified, all that's left is to execute the plan.

Stakeout, reconnaissance, infiltration.

Zhuang Fan's team spread out silently, lurking in the shadows of the industrial zone.

They took out binoculars and thermal imagers and conducted a thorough reconnaissance of the target building.

The building structure, defense system, personnel distribution, patrol routes, firing positions... everything was dissected inch by inch before their eyes.

……

Qiu Shan and his group returned to their base.

He ignored his men who were carrying equipment and turned to look at Pipi.

"The trial will be held in open court in four days."

His voice was devoid of any warmth: "When the time comes, I will find a group of people to impersonate Grey Goose's accomplices. Your task is simple: just continue to accuse her."

"I see."

Before leaving, Qiu Shan's eyes were full of warning: "Don't even think about playing any tricks. You should know the consequences."

Pipi didn't look up, but just gave a soft "hmm".

The guards then escorted Pipi back to the guardhouse, and the metal door slammed shut behind them.

The room fell silent once more.

Pipi walked to the window, pretending to look at the night view. Her clasped fingers turned slightly white from gripping them too tightly.

She replayed in her mind every lie she had told and every fabricated detail.

That's all she can do. She hopes the Torch Base will take note of the clues she left behind.

As for her own life and death, it was never a consideration for her.

……

Qiu Shan went to another conference room, where two interrogators had been waiting for a long time.

His voice sounded slightly tired: "Where is the examiner that Harpenson sent?"

"He left first."

Qiu Shan was silent for a while before speaking: "Although we haven't found the person, I will pick five clean-cut scavengers from outside the city and have them confess to their crimes."

"As long as Dr. Pi can appear and his testimony is credible enough, Grey Goose has no chance of turning the tide."

The lead interrogator frowned slightly, his tone cautious:
“Harbenson will definitely cause trouble. If those people say something inappropriate, we will be in a very passive position.”

"I know."

A ruthless glint flashed in Qiu Shan's eyes. "Then we'll use hypnosis and drugs to brainwash them and make them believe that they are members of the assassination team. I'll go and arrest them in a bit."

"Okay, let's prepare the materials."

At this time, Qiu Shan was summoned by Director Soren.

He turned and left the conference room, gathered a small team of trusted elites, and then left the stronghold.

……

An hour later, inside the safe house.

Except for Xiong Er, Zhuang Fan and the others all returned and began a pre-battle meeting.

Zhuang Fan stood in front of the holographic map, pointing to the marked strongholds, his voice steady.

"Qiu Shan's team has at least eight armored soldiers and thirty-two elite mercenaries."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

"Xiong Er just reported that Qiu Shan took another group of people with him. Although the number of soldiers has decreased, we cannot let our guard down."

He drew a red line on the map with his finger, enlarging the defensive perimeter.

"The enemy must have a considerable number of troops left behind. Conservatively speaking, we are facing twice as many enemy troops."

With a loud bang, Mao Shanwang placed a heavy metal box on the table, which was full of explosives.

Then he took out several disc-shaped objects and carefully placed them on the table.

“I got five ‘Armor Buster’ bombs. These things can definitely kill those tin cans.”

"Armor Buster?"

Zhuang Fan's gaze fell on the discs. They looked unremarkable, with smooth surfaces and only a faint blue light shimmering around the center.

"This thing must be expensive, right?"

"It's ridiculously expensive!"

Mao Shanwang looked pained: "Five of them cost me 80,000 gold coins! This time I've really gone all out."

Cole picked one up and weighed it in his hand; it was quite heavy.

"This thing... is it an upgraded version of the shockwave thunder?"

"Zhenzhen Lei can only sit at the children's table."

Mao Shan Wang grinned and gently patted the disc with his paw, as if showing off a treasure.

"What's weird about this thing is that it makes a strange noise and then goes straight into the tin can..."

He lowered his voice, which carried a hint of coldness.

"Then, in less than three seconds, everyone inside was shaken into a pile of minced meat, while the power armor outside, hey, was completely unharmed."

Upon hearing this, Cole immediately placed the disc back on the table, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes.

"Old Cat, you're making it sound so sinister, but it's just low-frequency sound wave resonance."

After making a brief complaint, Zhuang Fan continued, "Are the signal jammers ready? We need to make sure they can cover all of the other side's buildings."

"Here it is."

Mao Shanwang pushed a cabinet-style device over.

"A military-grade 'silent field,' with the power turned up to the maximum, is so quiet that you can't even hear them fart, let alone make a phone call."

All critical equipment is ready.

Zhuang Fan's gaze returned to the map, slowly circling it above the industrial area.

"At four in the morning, launch a surprise attack."

Inside the room, only the soft clanging of weapons and equipment being repeatedly checked echoed in the air.

Everyone had a burning desire in their eyes; after being cooped up in the safe house for several days, they were finally ready to get to work.

Zhuang Fan looked at everyone in the room and reminded them in a deep voice:
"No need to be so excited now, everyone go to sleep and get some rest."

The crowd dispersed to prepare for their own events.

The night before dawn is the longest.

(End of this chapter)